II. THE QUESTION OF ACCESS... 4

Transcription

1 ply )w

2 I. IN T R O D U C T IO N... 1 M AL~P II. THE QUESTION OF ACCESS... 4 III. CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN NORTHEAST INDIA... 5 IV. THE DISPLACED POPULATIONS... 7 Gongia's Twice-D isplaced Villagers... 8 V. CONDITIONS FOR THE DISPLACED Displacement from Kashmir VI. RESPONSE OF THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT VII. ROLE AND RESPONSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY VIII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Of the many cases of internal displacement in the world today, some are particularly troubling because they seem to be beyond the reach of the international community. Although the displaced populations of concern may be in serious need of assistance and protection, and could benefit immeasurably from outside support, few or no steps are taken, or strategies developed, to gain access to them. To address this problem, the Brookings Institution Project on Internal Displacement asked the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) to undertake a study of complex situations of internal displacement where access is difficult and international involvement is limited or nonexistent. India was selected as one of the countries because of the difficulty of access to and the paucity of information about displaced populations in the Northeast. Hiram A. Ruiz, USCR senior policy analyst, undertook a visit to the area in His findings were discussed at a conference organized by the Brookings Project and USCR in Washington, D.C. on January 28, 1999 to which country and regional experts were invited. The author is grateful to numerous organizations and persons who facilitated his trip and provided important insights, particularly the Centre for Refugee Studies, Jadavpur University, Calcutta. This paper was written by Hiram A. Ruiz and represents the views of the author and USCR. It was edited by Virginia Hamilton and Bill Frelick. It was produced by Koula Papanicolas, Merly Ericsson and Eunice Kim of the USCR staff. Additional generous support came from the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Cover Photo: Internally displaced persons in Assam, Northeast India. Photo credit: USCRIHiram A. Ruiz Immigration and Refugee Services of America ISBN

3 Internal displacement resulting from political and communal violence exists in two main regions of India: the Northeast and Kashmir. The international community is cognizant of the displacement from Kashmir, the result of a long-standing conflict between the Indian armed forces and separatists among Kashmir's Muslim majority that has led to clashes between India and Pakistan. Various Indian and international groups monitor and report on the situation of the mostly Hindu displaced Kashmiris, and the Indian authorities assist them (see box, p. 12). But the displacement in Northeast India has gone virtually unnoticed. The international community, and even many within India, know almost nothing of the scale and nature of the displacement, its causes, conditions for the displaced, or the response of the national or local authorities. This information void was a primary factor in the decision by the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) to assess the situation there. The Indian government's restriction on access to Northeast India, 1 a major reason for the lack of information about the displaced there, also prompted the assessment. India's mixed record on refugee issues was another significant factor in USCR's decision to undertake this assessment. India has extended protection and assistance to some refugee groups but not others and denies the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to most refugees there. 2 In Northeast India, the Indian authorities prohibit any international involvement with Burmese Chin refugees, who reportedly lack protection and endure harsh living conditions. If India is not adequately protecting or assisting refugees in Northeast India, how is it treating internally displaced persons there? Finally, the potential for future large-scale communal violence in India as a whole also prompted the decision to focus on internal displacement in Northeast India. In recent years, tension between the Hindu majority and the Muslim and Sikh minorities in India has escalated, encouraged by political party rivalries and growing Hindu nationalism. In 1990, Hindus destroyed a Muslim mosque in Ayodhya that they claimed was built on the site of an ancient Hindu temple. Subsequent Hindu-Muslim clashes across India left 1,200 dead. 3 Tension between different Hindu castes could also result in conflict and displacement. In June 1999, some 200 Dalits became displaced in Tamil Nadu State when upper caste Hindus attacked them. The Dalits, long-exploited members of a lower Hindu caste, sought to use public property in their village from which upper caste Hindus traditionally barred them. 4 Further outbreaks of communal violence in densely populated India, which now has one billion inhabitants, could result in massive internal displacement. How India responds to its current displaced populations might be an indicator of how it would respond to major displacement in the future. Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * I

4 Northeast India Arunachal Pradesh Nagaland Manipur Mizoram USCR found that some 177,000 persons are displaced in Northeast India, a geographically isolated and politically neglected region where Hindus are a minority. 5 Most of the displaced are members of indigenous or "tribal" groups that have historically been marginalized within India. The displacement, largely the result of conflict over land, identity, and political control among these various ethnic or tribal groups, continues unchecked. The Indian government does little to prevent it. The displaced languish in camps where conditions are deficient. There is little health care, sanitation, or education. The authorities provide inadequate-if any-assistance. They have little hope for a long-term solution to their uprooted lives. Responsibility for the displaced lies with the government of India. However, it has not formulated concrete policies to address the causes of the displacement, to assist the displaced, or to help them find longterm solutions. New Delhi appears to lack an understanding of the scope, complexity, and severity of the displacement, and has largely relinquished its responsibility to the state governments. The Indian government's indifference to the displaced in the Northeast is also consistent with an aspect of New Delhi's (and the former British administration's) de- cades-long neglect of the region. That neglect, which has resulted in underdevelopment and stiff competition for available resources, is one of the very causes of the displacement. Nevertheless, USCR found no indication that the Indian government deliberately harms or mistreats the displaced in the Northeast, or that its response (or lack thereof) to them arises from hostility. India's response seems more a case of neglect than of willful abuse. Compared to the myriad social and economic problems that the government of India faces, it may consider the situation of some 177,000 displaced persons in the Northeast a minor issue (although the same should not apply to the governments of the six Northeastern states). That is of little comfort to the displaced, however, and certainly does not justify New Delhi's inattention to them. The displaced are not simply a disadvantaged group or casualties of a natural disaster. They are victims of violence, persecution, and human rights abuse directed against them because of their membership in a particular group. Their displacement is forced and a direct result of inter-ethnic conflict. The government of India has failed to protect them. It has a responsibility not only to assist them, but to protect them and to help them find long-term solutions. U.S. Committee for Refugees * 2

5 ESTIMATES OF NUMBERS OF PERSONS DISPLACED IN NORTHEAST INDIA [Note: Several of the following ethnic groups sometimes refer to themselves by a different name than that by which they are commonly known. Because these populations are already little known outside India, the author has used the more commonly recognized name for the sake of clarity. While some of these estimates are widely cited, others have been provided by a single source that may have connections to the displaced population in question. These 1998 estimates should therefore be considered very tentative.] State~ Nube Mimu Dipae Grup Pate ocnlc Assam 87, ,000 Santhals, Nepalis Bodos 3 /non-bodos Assam 3, ,000 Bengalis Bodos/non-Bodos Manipur n/a* 40,0005 Kukis Nagas/Kukis Manipur n/a* 15,7006 Paites 7 Kukis/Paites Manipur, Nagaland 20, ,0009 Nagas Nagas/Kukis Tripura 39, ,000 Reangs 1 Mizos/Reangs Tripura 25, ,000 Bengalis Tribals/Bengalis Arunachal Pradesh 3, ,000 Chakmas Tribals/Chakmas Other groups in the Northeast have also experienced displacement or remain displaced, including Bodos in Assam, 4 Chakmas in Mizoram, 15 and ethnic minorities in Meghalaya. Notes: These numbers represent the largest numbers of people displaced in each state in recent years. 2 80,000 as of August 1998: interview with Prof. Omprakash Mishra, Calcutta; interview with Mr. Naqib Ahmed, Santhal representative; 65,000: Bhaumik. According to the June 1, 1999 The Statesman (India), another 7,000 became displaced in June Bodos refer to themselves as Boros. 4 Some 3,500 displaced Bengalis were living in one camp visited by the author. There are undoubtedly many more living in other camps or by their own means, but there are no estimates of their total. Interview with Dr. T. Haokip of North Eastern Hills University (Shillong), Guwahati, August Zomi Coordination Committee on Relief and Rehabilitation, July 13, Paites refer to themselves as Zomis. Interview with Artax A. Shimray, Naga leader. This was the only source for this figure. 9 Ibid. 10 Presentation by Professor Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury, Symposium on Internally Displaced Persons, Jadavpur University,Calcutta, August In an interview with USCR, Prof. K. Debbarma of North Eastern Hills University, Shillong, said there were 36,000 as of August ' Reangs refer to themselves as Bru. 12 Bhaumik, Subir. "Flower Garden or Fluid Corridor," unpublished. ' 3 Chaudhury said 3,000 to 4,000 Chakmas had been displaced for more than five years. 14According to Jitu Basumatari, a member of a Bodo organization, more than 700 Bodos remained displaced. Other sources, however, said that all formerly displaced Bodos had returned home. '5 Some 200 families, according to Samran Chakma, representative of a Chakma group. * As of 1998, most displaced Kukis and Paites had returned home or resettled in new communities. USCR was unable to establish how many of those who remained displaced were vulnerable as a result. Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 3 olia"

6 i II. THE QUESTION OF ACCESS The international community's lack of access to refugees and internally displaced persons in India was a major factor in the decision to produce this report. USCR and others have tried to gain access to these populations, but the Indian government has denied access. The Indian government's strong opposition to international scrutiny of its internal affairs, including refugee issues, is well known and long-standing. India is not a signatory to the UN's 1951 Refugee Convention. It does, however, have a seat on UNHCR's Executive Committee (EXCOM). New Delhi continues to deny UNHCR access to most refugees in India even though it sits on the EXCOM. It does not permit the agency direct contact with Burmese Chin refugees in Mizoram State, Bhutanese refugees in northwest India, Tibetan refugees living in various regions, or the estimated 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees living in camps in the state of Tamil Nadu. India does permit UNHCR to assist urban refugees, most of whom live in New Delhi, and for some time permitted UNHCR to interview Sri Lankan refugees who were repatriating, but only at the point of departure. USCR first visited India in 1991, traveling to Tamil Nadu State to assess conditions for Sri Lankan refugees there. USCR returned to Tamil Nadu in 1993 for the same purpose. At the time of these visits, USCR was aware that a large number of internally displaced Kashmiris existed but though access might have been possible, time constraints did not permit us to visit that group. In 1996, USCR sought official permission from the Indian government to visit Chakma refugees living in the state of Tripura, about whom we had heard disturbing reports, but New Delhi refused. (India has denied other human rights and humanitarian organizations access as well.) Following the distribution in India of USCR reports on Sri Lankan refugees, groups and individuals in India who work with refugees and the displaced began to send USCR information about other refugee and displaced populations. In 1996, USCR again visited Tamil Nadu. We also visited New Delhi, where we met with representatives of several refugee groups, and with the South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC), a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) that documents the situation of refugees and displaced persons in India. During that trip, USCR also visited Dharamsala, home to India's most significant Tibetan refugee settlement. Prior to that visit, USCR had again officially requested to meet with Indian government officials concerned with refugee matters, but did not receive a response. Once USCR arrived in India, a Foreign Office official in charge of relations with UN agencies did, however, meet us. USCR first learned of the displacement that was taking place in Northeast India during our 1996 visit. We continued to receive information about that displacement from SAHRDC and from the Refugee Studies Center at Jadavpur University in Calcutta during However, it was difficult to ascertain from these reports the actual conditions the various displaced populations faced or how the government of India was responding. Although India is a democracy, which suggests some level of transparency and accountability, the Indian government shuns international scrutiny or involvement in anything it considers an "internal affair." Most of Northeast India is off limits to foreigners (the British colonial administration was the first to limit access to the area; 6 post-independence governments have maintained the restrictions). Given India's denial of access to refugees and restrictions on travel to most of Northeast India, and our belief that New Delhi would reject a request from USCR to visit the region, we made no request. USCR traveled to Assam in August Assam is one of the two states in the Northeast that foreigners may partly visit without special permits. Foreigners' access in Assam is generally restricted to its main city, Guwahati, but USCR was able to visit several camps in western Assam. Although USCR had not advised the local authorities of our visit, when they learned of USCR's presence they met with us, gave us permission to visit the displaced, and provided us escorts for our security. USCR was also able to meet informally with local officials in both Guwahati and Kokrajhar District. USCR's visit to Assam made it possible for us to compare and contrast information we had received about internal displacement with our own on-theground assessment. But USCR was not able to do the same regarding Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. USCR's knowledge of the situation for internally displaced groups in those states therefore remains based on written material and interviews with academics, journalists, NGO staff, and representatives of displaced communities (some of whom traveled from their home states to Guwahati or Calcutta to meet USCR and share their first-hand accounts of the situation). U.S. Committee for Refugees * 4

7 Although USCR's focus was on displaced persons in Northeast India, we also traveled to Jammu, the capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, to assess conditions for internally displaced Kashmiris there. The conflicts in the Northeast and their resulting displacement receive little attention within India, let alone outside the country. According to Naqib Ahmed, one of a handful Santhals in Assam to contest a seat in India's Parliament, "These problems are being kept in cocoons. I don't even know how many Indians know about these issues." 7 Another person told USCR, "Our issue is so micro in the Indian context that no one pays attention." Dr. S amir Kumar Das of Calcutta University added, "The government of India is unaware of the details of situations in the Northeast, such as the Bodo- Santhal conflict." 8 Northeast India is a geographically and politically isolated area of India sandwiched by Bangladesh, China, and Burma. Only a narrow strip of land and two roads link it to the rest of India. Once known simply as Assam, today the Northeast is divided into seven states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. In contrast to the main body of India, much of the Northeast is sparsely populated. It is also ethnically more diverse: of the 430 recognized "tribes" in India, some 200 make their home in the Northeast. 9 An estimated 25 percent of the Northeast's 31 million inhabitants are members of tribal groups.' Also unlike the rest of India, where tension between Hindus and Muslims is one of the prevailing sociopolitical dynamics, religion is not a major factor in ethnic conflicts in the Northeast." For example, Bodos and Santhals who have clashed in Assam are both Hindu and Christian. Fractious Nagas, Kukis, and Paites (Zomi) in Manipur are all Christians, mostly Presbyterian and Baptist. Muslim and Hindu Bengalis are regarded first as Bengalis, rather than as Hindus or Muslims (though most long-term residents of the region have traditionally considered Hindu Bengalis as "refugees" from Bangladesh, while viewing most Muslim Bengalis as economic migrants). 12 According to author and journalist Subir Bhaumik, who does much reporting on refugees and displaced persons in Northeast India, few of the area's current inhabitants are truly indigenous. 3 The socalled tribals, largely Mongoloid ethnic minorities who speak languages in the Tibeto-Burman family, 4 migrated into the region several centuries ago from Southeast Asia and southwest China. 5 Many among the more typical Indian population, mostly Bengalis Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 5

8 but also ethnic Santhals, Biharis, and others, migrated-or were moved-into the area during British colonial rule. At the time of the partition of India, and India's' and Pakistan's independence, large numbers of Bengali Hindus moved into Northeast India from what became East Pakistan. During the 1971 conflict that led to East Pakistan's becoming independent Bangladesh, millions more, both Hindu and Muslim, moved from present day Bangladesh into Northeast India. Since then, millions of other Bangladeshis have migrated to Northeast India and West Bengal State, mostly for economic reasons (Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world). In the 1800s, and even until the mid-1900s, land and work were readily available in the Northeast. Indeed, the British brought many people from other parts of India to the Northeast, particularly in what is now the state of Assam, to work on large tea plantations or to till vacant land. 6 Since the mid-1900s, as the population has swelled, resources have diminished and competition has grown. Groups that had grown to think of the land as historically theirs resented the influx of newer migrants. Xenophobia spread throughout the Northeast. In the 1990s, even long-established groups began to resent one other, each arguing that the other is "foreign" and has no claim to the area. According to Bhaumik, "What began as ethnic strife between 'indigenous' and 'foreign' groups...tumed into ethnic clashes between populations that... [had] essentially [become] local to the area." It is largely these tensions that have resulted in the conflicts that have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Northeast India. Bhaumik described the evolution of inter-ethnic conflict in the Northeast: With the Partition [of India in 1947] and then again during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, the inflow [of migrants and refugees] crossed the acceptable limits of threshold and provoked local reactions. The fear of being swamped by outsiders...began to determine the entire interaction between the autocthones [earliest inhabitants] and the outsiders... Ethnic cleansing...was first evident in the organized and orchestrated ethnic violence during the 1983 Assam elections. Then it found further impetus during the Bodoland agitation... Bodo militants began targeting non-bodo communities to spark an exodus... The trend is gaining ground in Tripura as well, where large-scale rioting by Tripuri tribespeople...[has] led to substantial displacement of Bengalis... Similar trends are evident in Manipur, where five years of Naga-Kuki violence have forced major locational shifts of the two population groups. More than one thousand people have died in these orgies of violence... In Meghalaya, the anti-outsider pogroms have...[led to] the outflow of Bengalis and other 'outsider' groups from Shillong." 7 According to Bhaumik, the large scale of civilian displacement in the Northeast exists, in part, because much of the violence in these tribal conflicts has been directed against civilians. Since rebels often are not equipped to engage each other militarily, they attack villages of opposing tribes. 18 Those who are accused of xenophobia and ethnic cleansing deny the charge and argue that they are merely asserting their own right to survival. According to "The Silent War," a paper by a political group that seeks greater autonomy for ethnic Khasis in Meghalaya, "The cry for rectifying the influx issue is not a mere bogey... The fear and insecurity that pervades [sic] is not illusory, it is real. We have no desire whatsoever to be reduced to a miserable minority in our own land." 19 Tribals note that their conditions continue to deteriorate. Since independence, their situation has been one of "increasing marginalization, with their problems revolving around three main issues: land, forests, and displacement," according to Jadavpur University professor Debi Chatterjee. "Today, the economy and environmental conditions of the tribals stand utterly devastated,"" Chatterjee added. An article in the December 1996 Options magazine said, "Assertion of ethnic identity and the search for autonomy has become a political weapon to garner much needed economic rights... These demands stem from groups who have not been given their share of economic uplift."'" In "The Plight of Boros [Bodos] of North East India," Anjali Daimari, a well-known Bodo leader, wrote: Boros... are still fighting.. for their basic rights and justice. The degree of discrimination meted out to this community is glaring... Encroachment by the illegal immi- U.S. Committee for Refugees * 6

9 grants and non-bonafide [sic] Indians deprived the Boros and other plain tribals of their plot of land, which was the only means of their subsistence... The government let the situation brew year after year, even without making any attempt to apprehend the gravity of the matter... The fallout from this gathering storm was bound to be devastating. It is evident from the Boro- Muslim riot of 1994 or the Boro-Santhal riot of May These riots were not for ethnic cleansing, as commonly expressed in the media, but for regaining the land. The Indian government's economic and political neglect of the Northeast, the resulting underdevelopment there, and local people's sense of political exclusion and powerlessness have also contributed significantly to tensions./" C. Joshua Thomas, deputy director of the Northeast India branch of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, told USCR: "The root cause of the displacement is inter-tribal conflict... [but] the cause of that conflict is dispute over land and autonomy." Some local observers also argue that India's central government has historically played a direct role in displacement. According to Bhaumik, "The government has a pattern of inducing internal displacement in some areas in order to control those areas... In the 1950s and 1960s, to counter insurgencies in Nagaland and Mizoram, the [national] government undertook a policy of forced displacement to disrupt civilians' ability to aid rebel groups. It is estimated that the Indian Army forcibly relocated 100,000 people in Mizoram in the 1960s." IV. THE DISPLACED POPULATIONS The intensity of the violence, the actors involved in the armed conflicts, the number displaced, and the conditions of the displaced vary from state to state in Northeast India. Following is a brief introduction to the principal situations of internal displacement in Northeast India. Assam: Displaced Santhals, Nepalis, and Bengalis More than 87,000 ethnic Santhals, and a smaller number of Bengalis and Nepalis, 23 have been displaced by the violent conflict between Bodo insurgents and non- Bodos in western Assam. Ethnic tension is rife in Assam, which is home to many ethnic groups. Some groups, like the Assamese and Bodos, have lived in the region for many centuries. Others, including Bengalis, Santhals, and ethnic Nepalese, migrated there during the 1800s. During the latter part of the 20th century, many other ethnic Bengalis migrated to Assam from Bangladesh and have made Bengalis one of the largest ethnic groups in Assam. The current government of Assam is headed by Assamese nationalists who are more sympathetic to tribal groups such as the Bodos than to groups who have migrated into the area in more recent times, like the Santhals and Bengalis. There are several Bodo insurgent groups, each seeking greater autonomy for Bodos. 24 Their goals range from the establishing of a separate Bodo autonomous council, to a separate Bodo State within India, to total independence from India. But the area that these groups claim as "Bodoland" is home to many non- Bodo groups. In fact, Bodos are a minority in much of "Bodoland." In the 1990s, Bodo insurgents mounted attacks on a number of non-bodo communities. Bodos displaced an estimated 60,000 Bengalis in the early 1990s, primarily between 1991 and One Bengali leader told USCR, "Whenever there is a push for a separate state, most often Bengalis become the targets, as if Bengalis were the ones opposing them [the separatists]." Observers said that the Bodos' aim in displacing the Bengalis was twofold: to send a message to non-bodos and to the Assamese and Indian national governments that they were serious about pursuing their claim; and, by forcing out non-bodos, to increase the proportion of Bodos living in "Bodoland," (continued on page 9) Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 7

10 U.S. Committee for Refugees * 8

11 thus enhancing their claims for greater autonomy or independence. Most of the Bengalis displaced in the early 1990s later returned home, but others remain displaced. In Assam's Kokrajhar District, USCR visited Balajani camp, home to some 2,800 Bengali Muslims who have been displaced since The camp's residents are despondent. They have moved their camp several times already, had not received assistance for 15 months at the time of USCR's visit, and saw no prospect for a long-term solution to their plight. In 1997, most members of the group received a government reintegration grant of 10,000 rupees ($230) aimed at helping them to re-establish themselves, but they had used the money to buy food and basic necessities. Shortly before USCR's 1998 visit, representatives of the Assam state government had told the group that they must vacate Balajani, but had not provided them any alternative location. The displaced therefore remained at Balajani, struggling to survive, and expecting to be evicted at any time. In May 1996, Bodos mounted large-scale attacks on ethnic Santhals. That led to the displacement of more than 250,000 persons, mostly Santhals, but also including several thousand Bodos and some Nepalis. Bodos claimed that the attacks were in response to the murder of a Bodo girl by Santhals, but a commission of inquiry set up by Assam's state government to investigate the incident found the allegation false. The girl had been raped and killed by Bodo men who dumped her body near a Santhal village to lay blame on the Santhals. 25 As with their earlier attacks on Bengalis and other ethnic groups, Bodos' 1996 attacks appeared aimed at altering the demographic balance. Bhaumik told USCR, "The drive to create majority populations in areas in order to back demands for separate homelands is in large part the fundamental cause of internal displacement." Virtually all of the displaced Bodos and a majority of the Santhals returned home during However, the Assamese government prevented some 40,000 Santhals from going back to where they had been living. The government said that because the Santhals had been living illegally on so-called "forest land," it would not permit them to return there. Yet, in reality, there are no forests on these tracts of so-called forest land. One local government official told USCR, "You hardly find any forest in Assam." But because these lands are officially designated as "reserved" national forest areas, settling on them is illegal. The local official added, "The state of Assam has one of the largest amounts of reserved forest areas, yet is one of the least forested states in India." Displaced Bodos who lived on those same forest lands were, however, able to return home unhindered, which led many Santhals to think that the Assam government was deliberately discriminating against them. Further Bodo attacks in May 1998 led to the displacement of another 25,000 people, again mostly Santhals, but also including ethnic Nepalis. Among them were many who had been temporarily displaced in The population of the displaced persons' camps again grew to 65,000 to 80,000. Further Bodo- Santhal clashes in September 1998 displaced another 2,000 people. 27 In early June 1999, more than 7,000 people, mostly Santhals, were displaced from the Dhubri area of western Assam. New attacks by Bodos on Santhal villages and fighting between the Indian military and Bodo insurgents provoked the displacement. 28 According to the Indian newspaper The Statesman, Bodos abducted 14 Santhals, including nine women and two babies, from their village in Dhubri District. The bodies of four of the Santhals, including a six-monthold baby, were later found. The newspaper said the killings were "the latest in a series of gruesome ethnic massacres" involving Bodos and Santhals in western Assam. 2 9 Bengali Hindus in Assam have also experienced displacement. According to representatives of Assam' s Bengali Hindu community, thousands of Bengali Hindus have been displaced during the 1990s as a result of terrorism directed at members of their community by Assamese nationalist organizations such as the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). This terrorism has included the taking of Bengalis as hostages for ransom and the killing of more than 200 people. Most of those displaced, the community leaders said, left Northeast India for West Bengal or other parts of India. Manipur: Displaced Kukis, Nagas, and Paites Conflict between tribal groups in Manipur and Nagaland reportedly has led to the displacement (at least temporarily) of as many as 130,000 Kukis, Paites, and Nagas since Most of the Kukis and Paites have been displaced in Manipur, where the Meiteis are the majority ethnic group. Although Meiteis represent about 70 percent of Manipur's population, most live in the state capital, Imphal, and the Imphal Valley, and occupy only ten percent of the state's land." The remaining 30 percent Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 9

12 of the population are members of tribal groups, with Nagas the largest, and Kukis the second largest among them. Nagas, Kukis, and other tribal groups occupy 90 percent of the state's land. 32 The inter-ethnic conflict in Manipur has been among the various tribal groups and has not directly involved the majority Meiteis. The largest clashes in Manipur were between ethnic Nagas and Kukis from 1992 to The conflict continued between 1996 and 1998, but on a much reduced scale. Nagas are the predominant ethnic group in neighboring Nagaland State. Since India's independence, Naga insurgents have fought for an independent Nagaland, an area that they say encompasses not only the present state of Nagaland, but also sections of other states, including Manipur, as well as parts of neighboring Burma. The Nagas accuse the government of India of arming and supplying the Kukis, whom Nagas accuse of siding with the national government in opposing Naga independence. Kukis also seek an autonomous (though not independent) Kuki territory, but Kukis are widely dispersed, and only form a majority in a few pockets of land, primarily in Manipur. Kukis wish to include in Kuki territory some areas of Manipur that contain large Naga populations, areas that Nagas consider part of greater Nagaland. Among these is land bordering Burma, through which a lucrative drug traffic flows. These conflicting claims have led to conflict between Nagas and Kukis in northern Manipur, with each group displacing members of the other. Ethnically mixed villages, once common in Manipur, have virtually ceased to exist. 33 Kukis say that more than 40,000 Kukis were displaced, primarily between 1992 and Most have now resettled in other Kuki communities. Naga sources claim that the Naga/Kuki conflict has displaced as many as 90,000 Nagas in Manipur and another 5,000 in Nagaland, of whom only some 20,000 to 25,000 remained displaced as of mid According to one Naga leader, Artax Shimray, displaced Nagas in Manipur included 30,000 from Chenaburi District, 30,000 from Chandel District, 10,000 from Okrur District, and 20,000 from Tamelung District. Shimray said that displaced Nagas are not visible because they never established camps. "There is a strong support system among Nagas. Whoever became displaced was sheltered in the home of another Naga family," he said. In mid-1997, the Naga-Kuki conflict led to a iside spin-off conflict between Kukis and Paites in southern Manipur. The cause of the conflict is unclear: each gives a different version of its genesis. Generally speaking, it appears that Kukis, who consider the Paites to be a Kuki sub-tribe, expected the Paites to support them against the Nagas, which they did not do. The Paites consider themselves a separate, distinct tribe from the Kukis, although they do say that both they and the Kuki, as well as the Mizo and Burmese Chin, are all part of what they call the Zomi peoples. Fighting between the Kuki and Paites displaced more than 15,000 Paites. Most were displaced within Manipur, where a Paite relief group set up 30 temporary camps for them, most often very near their original homes. Although as of mid many had not yet rebuilt their houses, they were living in their communities of origin and no longer displaced. Some 3,500 Paites fled into Mizoram, where the state government created three camps for them. The 3,500 who fled to Mizoram returned in July 1998, after the Kukis and Paites signed an agreement aimed at ending their rift. 35 Arunachal Pradesh: Displaced Chakmas At the time of the partition of India, the Chakmas, a tribal, mostly Buddhist group whose ancestral home is in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of what is now Bangladesh, wished to be part of India. However, the British assigned the CHT region to Bangladesh. Since the partition, a steady stream of Bangladeshi Muslim settlers have migrated to the CHT. Chakmas, who made up 98 percent of the CHT's population in 1947, now represent only 52 percent of the population. 3 6 In 1964, the construction of a dam in the CHT caused the displacement of tens of thousands of Chakmas, many of whom migrated to what is now Tripura State in India. New Delhi decided to resettle some 40,000 of the Chakmas and 10,000 closely related ethnic Hajong-who it knew were sympathetic to India-to the problematic border area with China, in what is now the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh (A.P.) is an isolated, sparsely populated state inhabited mostly by tribal groups. Over the years, the Chakma population has grown to some 65,000; they have become the third largest ethnic group in the state, which has a total population of only some 500,000. The tribal groups' resentment toward the Chakmas has also grown. In recent years, both local groups, most notably the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), and the state government itself, have called for the Chakmas' expulsion from A.P. In 1996, India's Supreme Court ruled that the Chakmas were eligible for Indian citizenship because U.S. Committee for Refugees * I 0

13 of their long stay in India. The Court called on the A.P. government to protect the Chakmas. It said, "The life and personal liberty of each and every Chakma residing within the state shall be protected and any attempt to forcibly evict or drive them out of the state by organized groups... shall be repelled." 37 The A.P. state government has ignored the ruling and continues to press New Delhi to remove the Chakmas from the state. Local groups' antagonism has turned violent, and as many as 3,000 Chakmas have become internally displaced. 38 An unknown number of others have left the area altogether. Because of the growing tension over the issue, USCR is concerned that violence toward the Chakmas will increase, resulting in greater displacement. Tripura: Displaced Reangs The Reangs are a tribal group who live in both Tripura and Mizoram. In Mizoram, the Reangs are a small minority (the Mizo are by far the largest ethnic group). The Reang minority in Mizoram, which numbers some 80,000 to 90,000 people, 3 9 want to be granted their own autonomous region and council, similar to that earlier granted to ethnic Chakma in Mizoram. But the Mizo do not want to yield to the Reangs' request. That has led to conflict between the two groups and to the displacement of some 39,000 Reangs into neighboring Tripura. USCR assessed, first hand, only the conditions of displaced Santhals, Bengalis, and ethnic Nepalis in western Assam. USCR's information on conditions for other displaced populations in the Northeast comes both from written material and interviews with individuals familiar with the situation, including representatives of the displaced themselves. In western Assam, USCR visited three of the 33 camps for internally displaced Santhals. In Kachugaon camp, home to some 2,000 displaced Santhals, the displaced were living primarily in public buildings, including the local high school and other existing structures. At another site, the displaced were living in (continued on page 15) Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * I I

14 IU.S. Committee for Refugees * 12

15 on financial and food aid for the displaced. In Jammu and Kashmir alone, that has totaled some 2,741 million rupees (U.S. $62.9 million) since He added that the government has spent another 200 million rupees (U.S. $4.6 million) on compensation for displaced persons whose homes were burned down. Babyal adds that the Jammu and Kashmir state government's policy toward the displaced is shaped by a high-level committee chaired by the revenue minister. He noted that the state government works in collaboration with the national government, "but as far as implementation of policy, the primary responsibility is with the state." Of the 29,000 displaced Kashmiri families in Jammu, some 14,200 families (some 59,500 people) receive government assistance as displaced persons. Another 14,800 families (almost all Hindus) are headed by former government workers, to whom the government of India has continued to pay full salaries (or retirement benefits) since their displacement in 1990, even though most are not actually working in any government job. According to Jammu official Babyal, those living outside camps who receive government assistance are given a monthly cash payment of 1,800 rupees (U.S. $41) for families of four or more, plus a food-aid package consisting of rice, flour, and sugar. For the first six or seven years after their displacement, most displaced Kashmiris in Jammu lived in tents. Over the years, many obtained rented accommodation in Jammu or Delhi or moved elsewhere in India or abroad. The government constructed some 4,600 one-room, semi-permanent houses for those who remained in the camps. According to Babyal, the Jammu government has also built ten primary schools and three high schools for displaced children, and provides medical care to the displaced, including paying for 28 doctors based at the camps. Nevertheless, when USCR visited the camps, residents complained of lack of government help for education and medical care. In Muthi camp, the camp leader said that there is a small dispensary, but that the government doesn't provide any medicines for it. He said that the displaced have access to local hospitals, but that, unlike local people, they are not given free medicines. In New Delhi, according to Surinder Kher, vice president of the Kashmir Samiti, a Kashmiri Hindu association, the government of India recognizes some 21,000 displaced Hindu Pandit families (about 100,000 people). A majority of the displaced are dispersed throughout the city, living mostly in private accommodations, though some 2,000 to 3,000 continue to live in 14 camps for the displaced. Those living outside the camps receive the same government assistance as displacedhindu Pandits living outside of camps in Jammu. Those living in the camps receive 1,200 rupees (U.S. $27), plus housing, electricity, and some food aid. At the Hauz Rani Community Center, one of the centers for displaced Hindu Pandits in New Delhi that USCR visited, there were some 50 families (200 people) in residence. They live in "rooms" that they have created by using cloth and cardboard to create separate enclosures for each family. The camp residents said they remain there despite the poor conditions because rent elsewhere in New Delhi is too expensive for them. One displaced man said that the average displaced person who has ajob earns 3,000 rupees per month and receives 1,200 in government aid for the family. That is a total income of some 4,200 rupees (U.S. $96) per month. The average rent for a very modest room in New Delhi is about 2,000 rupees (U.S. $46) per month plus electricity and water. Displaced Kashmiris' Views One of displaced Kashmiri Pandits' primary complaints is that the government of India does not officially recognize them as internally displaced persons, but rather terms them "migrants." The camp leader at Muthi camp in Jammu told USCR, "We are not migrants, we are displaced persons... The previous government imposed the 'migrants' label on us. A migrant is a person who chooses to leave his home; we have been forced to leave our homes and become displaced." Pandit leaders appear to believe that if the government of India officially recognizes them as internally displaced persons, they might receive some of the protection and assistance that is often provided to internationally recognized refugees. Kosha said, "We would suggest, if asked, that displaced persons get the same status and privileges as refugees. The only difference between a Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 1 3

16 D is ple Pht Jammu 11irisin iii crdt LIC ia woite DC enciangere U.S. Committee for Refugees * 14 Iae,.Ri ther ients dear.

17 (continued from page 11) flimsy shelters. A group of displaced Bengalis whom USCR visited were living in temporary shelters erected along the edge of a lake, in an area clearly vulnerable to flooding. At a camp for ethnic Nepalis and Santhals who had only recently been displaced, people were living under plastic sheeting. In most camps, there was little medical care and no formal education. In some camps, former teachers, themselves displaced, held informal classes. Residents of Kachugaon camp had started a school with no government help; some 120 children were enrolled. The displaced used a donation from Lutheran World Service to offer the four teachers at the school a small stipend. Most of the displaced USCR visited receive some food aid, primarily from the state government, but aid appeared to arrive sporadically, and the displaced complained that it was insufficient. At Patgaon camp, home to 158 displaced ethnic Nepali families, the group's leader, Mr. K. B. Rana, told USCR, "We are receiving some assistance: rice, dahl, oil, and salt. But the district commissioner has said he can only assist us temporarily, and that we should move on from here. But we have no place to go. We are reluctant to meet with him, because he will ask us where we have decided to go, and we won't have any answer." He added, "We feel totally blind. What to do? Where to go? Please advise us." The Bengalis USCR visited at Balajani camp, who had been displaced for three years and had already received "resettlement grants" designed to help them make a new start, no longer received government assistance. Most had used their resettlement grants just to survive, since they had nowhere to resettle or to begin again. USCR received several reports of deaths and malnutrition in the Assamese camps because of inadequate health care and assistance. The displaced in western Assam express deep concern about the uncertainty of their future. The majority cannot return home because they lived in the so-called forest areas. The local authorities have told them that they cannot stay in camps and receive assistance indefinitely. But the authorities are unable to help the displaced, virtually all farmers, to find any alternative. None has the means to buy land, and there is no vacant land where they can simply settle. Few of the Kukis and Paites who have become displaced in Manipur have settled in camps. According to Bhaumik, "They are Hill People and prefer to move about in the hills... They don't wait for the government to take the initiative [to help them]; they resettle themselves with relatives. They may not get fully established, but they survive." Thomas, of the Indian Council on Social Science, painted a darker picture. He described conditions for displaced persons in Manipur as "pathetic." 40 Thomas, an expert on Manipur who has visited the displaced there, said, "People who have been uprooted from their homes and hearths are living dangerously on the edge." He added that inadequate relief and continuing conflict could lead to further malnutrition, sickness, and death. 4 ' According to D. Kam Santhang, a member of the Zomi Council, a Paite support group, displaced Paites lack food, and have no medical facilities. There are no free medicines at the district hospital. If people are able to see a doctor they may receive a prescription, but do not have money to buy the medicines. They are "suffering physically and mentally, living hand-tomouth... It will take them three years to get back to normal harvests," Santhang said. The 36,000 displaced Reangs in Tripura live in a camp in Kanchan in conditions that Prof. K. Debbanna of Shillong University calls "inhuman." They lack proper sanitation, mosquito nets, and clothing, and their shelters do not have proper roofs. There is no supply of clean drinking water in the camp. According to Debbarama, the displaced take water from streams that are unclean. He said that hundreds of people have become ill or died from dysentery. Doctors from a local hospital visit the camp but lack sufficient medications. The displaced in Tripura are receiving some food aid; some also find day labor. That is causing tensions with poor local people, however, as the displaced often work for lower wages. Locals are also upset because the displaced are cutting much firewood and causing deforestation. 42 On December 25, 1997, The Hindu (India) reported that 17 displaced Reangs in Tripura had died between November 3 and December 16 of starvation and disease. It said, "The situation [in the camps] took a turn for the worse after the State government suspended [the] supply of rations on December 1 to put pressure on the refugees [sic] to return to their state." Further health problems were reported in mid According to the June 6, 1998 Statesman (India), "More than 100 Reang refugees [sic] have succumbed to gastroenteritis in camps in north Tripura over the last fortnight." USCR's direct observations and information received from other sources provide convincing evidence that displaced persons in Northeast India have Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 1 5

18 V a- many unmet needs. We saw or heard about problems in almost every sector: protection, shelter, food, health, sanitation, and education. VI. RESPONSE OF GOVERNMENT AND OTHER DOMESTIC ACTORS India's central government has been very passive in its response to internal displacement in the Northeast. New Delhi has, in effect, relinquished responsibility regarding the displaced to state and local governments. Its only involvement has been to provide states minimal funds to assist the displaced. State and local government responses have been inconsistent, with individual states demonstrating different levels of concern and committing varying degrees of resources. According to Bhaumik, "In Assam, the government has acknowledged the displacement and has set up camps. In Manipur, the government has set up camps twice, both times for Kukis. But it is more reluctant to accept the existence of displacement. 43 Several other local actors have come to the aid of the displaced, but their response has been sporadic, and their resources usually meager. These local groups include ethnic or tribal-based self-help associations, local NGOs, civic groups, religious organizations, and even insurgent groups themselves. Their roles have also varied from state to state. While the governments in Assam and Tripura appear to have led in aiding the displaced, in Manipur (particularly in the case of displaced Paites), Paite self-help organizations have taken the lead, although there, too, the government has provided some aid. India appears to lack any formal mechanisms for how the national or state governments should respond to situations of internal displacement. Rather, responses to displacement follow patterns that exist for responding to other types of welfare needs, natural disasters, or conflict situations. One Santhal source told USCR, "The national government plays no role [with the displaced]. It is indifferent. It leaves everything to the Assam government. The government of Assam says that it spends 1.7 million rupees per day [$39,000] to assist the displaced, yet all that the [displaced] get is rice and a bit of salt-and they get that irregularly. They receive no medical care, there's no clean drinking water, and no sanitation." Another Santhal man USCR interviewed called it a question of will. "Both the state and national U.S. Committee for Refugees * 16 governments have the ability to help the displaced. If they have the will to do something, they can. If they don't [have the will], they won't," he said. One variation USCR found is that in Assam the national government provides protection for the camps (through the military), though it expects the state to pay the costs. However, Santhal leader Nabiq Ahmed noted that when the national government cannot provide adequate security, it blames the Assam state government's inability to pay. "That's an abandonment by the national government of its responsibility," Ahmed said. During its visits to camps for the displaced in western Assam, USCR learned that aid is inadequate and its delivery is inconsistent. Overall conditions in the camps were poor. There appeared to be little organization or administration. The government's response to the displacement appeared ad hoc, with little attention paid to long-term solutions for the displaced. At a meeting with a local government official in Kokrajhar District, in western Assam, the government's inability, or unwillingness, to grasp the scale or complexity of the problem on its hands was plain. The official said that while the government has been providing the displaced assistance, it cannot do so indefinitely, not only because of economic constraints, but for the good of the displaced themselves. He said, "How long can we give the displaced rations? They are becoming lazy." When asked how he thought the displaced should support themselves, he said that since they are farmers, they should return to farming. But when asked if they could return to the land on which they were living before and farm there, he said they could not, because it is forest land and the government has decreed they cannot live there. The official conceded that the logical conclusion is that "the administration must find a way to rehabilitate them elsewhere, on non-forest land." However, when asked if the government was in the process of doing that, he replied that it was not, because there is no other land available. According to Debbarama, the Tripura state government has assigned some personnel to administer the Reang camps. He said that government officials register the displaced and regularly check them, but that their purpose is not to assist but to "ensure that people don't leave." The Tripura government supplies food, including rice, dahl, and occasionally fish. But the displaced say it is insufficient, and the quality substandard. NGOs help supplement what the state

19 government gives. The displaced have set up a "refugee committee" to speak on their behalf. According to local newspapers, as of mid-1998 the state government in Tripura had spent more than 17 million rupees [$390,000] assisting the displaced. 44 In Manipur, Thomas said, "The first time that the government of Manipur gave any assistance to the displaced was in May/June of It gave the equivalent of U.S. $1,200." There's been virtually no assistance from other sources; only a bit from churches and local NGOs," he added. According to Zomi Council member S anthang, "The government of Manipur did not organize camps" for the 15,000 Paites displaced as a result of the Kuki- Paite conflict. He said that the Zomi Council took the lead not only in assisting most of the displaced, but also in helping them to rehabilitate. "The government has supplied rice, mosquito nets, and blankets, but only for some of the displaced," he added. The Manipur state government has also promised to pay each displaced Paite family a rehabilitation grant to rebuild their homes, but at the time of USCR's 1998 visit, had given the grant to only 80 families. The government had also promised to give compensation grants to the families of the 290 Paites who were killed in the conflict, but had given those only to 100 families by August Given the Indian government's deliberate effort to keep the international community at bay on issues regarding refugees and internally displaced persons, it is not surprising that the international community plays virtually no role regarding internally displaced persons in India. Several books and articles have been written, mostly by Indian scholars, about the displacement in the Northeast, but these have primarily reached only an Indian audience. The international media rarely refer to the political and ethnic violence in the Northeast, less yet the displacement there. UNHCR cannot visit the region. Very few international NGOs work there, and those that do rely primarily on local staff. Northeast India is not, however, totally isolated from the world, and channels for international involvement with the displaced do exist, despite the restrictions in place. International NGOs could provide more information on the situation through their local staff. They could also provide direct assistance to the displaced through their local staff and partner agencies. Religious organizations, in particular, could play a more active role. Most of the displaced in Manipur and Tripura are Christians. The Protestant denominations to which they adhere could much more actively provide direct support through church mechanisms. International advocates for refugees and the displaced could also pay much more attention to the issue. Even if unable to visit the area easily, they could cultivate closer working relations with local NGOs, human rights groups, academics, and others who are familiar with the situation. Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 17

20 The situation for different groups of internally displaced persons in Northeast India varies greatly. That is largely because the Indian government lacks a defined policy regarding internal displacement, resulting in its ad hoc response. The Northeast is a geographically remote and political backwater. Most of the displaced are members of ethnic minorities. New Delhi appears to have left both decision-making and policy implementation regarding displaced persons to state governments-none of which appears to have any established policy regarding internally displaced persons. The central government has provided the states very little assistance for the displaced. The result has been significant inconsistency in conditions among the various displaced groups in the Northeast, and between them and displaced Kashmiris. In the Northeast, New Delhi does not address the causes of ethnic conflict. At times, it responds to the violence associated with the conflicts, but it does not address the causes per se. This is particularly problematic because displacement continues. By not taking steps to prevent future displacement, the government is leaving the door open for the problem to escalate. The government responds to the displaced in the Northeast as it might to victims of a natural disaster-that is, as a population needing temporary assistance. It does not respond to them as a group for whom it must find solutions, nor does it address the need to prevent further displacement. Conditions in camps and centers for the displaced in the Northeast are inadequate and far below the standard one would anticipate in a UN-assisted refugee camp. However, they are not dissimilar to those in which many other disadvantaged Indians live. To date, India has neither protected nor assisted internally displaced persons in the Northeast adequately. The Indian government asserts that national governments have primary responsibility for such responses. India has told the UN General Assembly that UN humanitarian assistance programs must respect "the primacy of the affected State in the initiation, organization, coordination 4international and implementation of humanitarian assistance within its territory If New Delhi wants the community to respect that primacy, VIII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS then it must comply with the obligations associated with primary responsibility. These findings cause concern not only for those already affected, but also for the hundreds of thousands of Indians, perhaps more, who might one day become internally displaced as a result of tensions between India's Hindu majority and Muslim and Sikh minorities. It is critical that India develop more effective procedures for addressing displacement. At this point, the international community has no role regarding internally displaced persons in India. However, no indication exists that the government of India is deliberately causing the displacement of its citizens in the Northeast (although its neglect of the region ultimately results in displacement). Likewise, it does not appear that New Delhi is deliberately refusing to protect or assist the displaced in the Northeast with the objective of causing them harm (although that is the net result of its inaction). Conditions for displaced persons in Northeast India are poor, often severely so. However, unlike Sudan in 1988 (and various times thereafter), when the displaced and other civilians died of hunger while the government of Sudan denied the existence of a problem and attempted to block international assistance, conditions for displaced Indians generally do not reach the gravity that would warrant international intervention over the objections of the government of India. However, given the poor conditions for displaced Indians, New Delhi's policy void regarding them, and its meager, irresolute response to them to date, it is entirely appropriate for the international community more actively to urge the government of India to address the issue of internal displacement and adequately respond to the needs of the displaced. The government of India has stated that it supports UN humanitarian assistance programs where these are provided "with the consent of the affected countries and on their appeal." New Delhi has so far not initiated, organized, coordinated, or implemented adequate efforts on behalf of its displaced citizens. If it does not want unsolicited international help in doing so, it should take steps to ensure that it does the job adequately itself. If India is unable to provide such assis- U.S. Committee for Refugees * 18

21 tance, it should invite international assistance. There are intergovernmental, international, and nongovernmental organizations that might be willing and able to assist. India cannot, however, fail to take steps to protect and assist the displaced, prevent others from doing so, and yet reject the international community's humanitarian interest in the fate of those affected. To the Government of India: 1. Address the causes that have led to internal displacement, thereby providing durable solutions for the displaced and preventing future displacement. Among the actions that New Delhi should take are: a. investing in the economic development of the Northeast; b. integrating the Northeast into India's political and economic mainstream; and c. working closely with state governments in the Northeast to resolve ethnic and land questions that contribute to conflict and displacement. 2. Until durable solutions are achieved, provide adequate assistance to the displaced. 3. Achieve durable solutions and interim protection and assistance by formulating concrete, consistent policies and procedures that are applicable to the national, state, and district level authorities. 4. Assign responsibility for formulating and implementing government policy regarding internal displacement to a cabinet level minister. 5. End the disparity of treatment between displaced persons in the Northeast and Kashmir. New Delhi should provide adequate-and equal-protection and assistance to all its displaced citizens, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or location. 6. Disseminate and observe the UN "Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement" in addressing the situation of internally displaced persons in India. 7. Extend an invitation to the UN Secretary General's Representative on Internally Displaced Persons to visit India to examine the situation of internally displaced persons and share with the government the benefit of his experience regarding appropriate responses to their needs. 8. Invite international and domestic organizations to help respond to the needs of the displaced, particularly in the provision of humanitarian assistance and implementation of long-term solutions. 9. Ease restrictions on access to Northeast India for organizations/individuals seeking to assist the displaced or to document their situation. To the International Community: 10. States that have influence or close relations with the government of India should encourage it to address the situation for internally displaced persons as outlined above. 11. International agencies should closely monitor the situation of internally displaced Indians and encourage New Delhi to act should conditions for the displaced deteriorate. The Working Group of the UN's Interagency Standing Committee, which helps the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator to assist displaced persons worldwide, should also monitor displacement in India. If problems persist, and the government of India does not take appropriate steps to remedy the situation, the Working Group should explore the need for international involvement, how it can come about, and what form it should take. 12. International NGOs with a presence in India should provide direct assistance to the displaced through their local staff and partner agencies. Church organizations, in particular, could do more on behalf of members of their congregations who are displaced. The international community could also support the organization of seminars focusing on internal displacement in India as a means of informing and sensitizing humanitarian and human rights organizations in India regarding the situation of internally displaced persons. Northeast India's Hidden Displacement * 19Ii'

22 ENDNOTES: After independence, the government of India maintained the former British colonial administration's restrictions on travel to the Northeast. The British asserted that their restrictions were to protect the tribal groups. The postindependence Indian authorities have maintained that the restrictions result from security concerns. 2 India permits more than 110,000 Tibetan refugees to live freely in Tibetan-run settlements throughout the country. It hosts some 110,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, 70,000 of whom live in government-assisted refugee camps in Tamil Nadu State. New Delhi also permits some 17,000 UNHCR-recognized refugees, mostly Afghans, to live in its main cities. India does not, however, protect or assist an estimated Burmese Chin refugees living in Mizoram State. Although the Indian authorities provided minimal assistance to some 40,000 Chakma refugees from Bangladesh who lived in Tripura State from 1973 to 1998, it prohibited international monitoring of their situation, which was reportedly precarious. 3 "Police Stop Muslim March to Ayodhya Shrine," The Associated Press, December 31, "Kodankipatti Dalits' Ordeal," The Hindu, July 6, It should be noted that USCR's assessment of the situation in Northeast India was constrained by its ability to visit only a few of the many displaced groups, its limited access to Indian national authorities, and its brief, informal contacts with local officials concerned with the displaced. These findings should be viewed within the context of those constraints. 6 Thomas, Dr. C. Joshua. "India's North East and Border Trade with Neighboring Countries," paper presented at the National Seminar on Liberalization, Ethnic Identity, and Economic Development of India's North East, St. Anthony's College, Shillong, Meghalaya, April USCR interview with Naqib Ahmed, Calcutta, August USCR interview with Samir Kumar Das, August Thomas, op. cit. 10 Ibid. '1 Bhaumik, Subir. "Flower Garden or Fluid Corridor: A Conceptual Framework for Refugee Inflows, Migration and Internal Displacement in Northeast India," in forthcoming book to be published by the Centre for Refugee Studies, Jadavpur University, Calcutta. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 14 Thomas, op. cit. 15 Bhaumik, op. cit. 16 Bhaumik. "Violent Anarchy in Assam," "For a New Democracy," Calcutta, September/October Bhaumik, op. cit., "Flower Garden." 18 Bhaumik, Subir. Presentation at Symposium on Internal Displaced Persons in Northeast India, Jadavpur University, August "Meghalaya," 19 "The Silent War: A Study on the Influx Imbroglio in Khasi Students' Union, undated. 20 Chatterjee, Debi. "Tribals in India," JadavpurJournal of International Relations (Volume 2), Calcutta, "Northeast Tribes' Search for identity: An Unending Process," Options, Shillong, December Thomas, op. cit. 23 According to Bhaumik, in "Flower Garden," op. cit., "The Northeast has absorbed a substantial exodus of Nepali-speaking peoples... During Assam's anti-foreigner agitation, the Nepalis were as much a target of local ire as the Bengalis." 24 "Turbulent Times," Far Eastern Economic Review, January 16, Interview with Justice Safiqul Haque, head of Commission of Inquiry. 26 Interview with Subir Bhaumik, Calcutta, August "30 Killed in India Clash," The Associated Press, September 16, The Statesman (India), June 5, 1999; BBC Worldwide Monitoring, citing PTI News Agency, New Delhi, June 3, The Statesman (India), June 1, Bhaumik, Subir. Presentation at Symposium on Internally Displaced Persons, Jadavpur University, Calcutta. In a subsequent interview with USCR, Bhaumik said that more than 70,000 people have been displaced in Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram as a result of the Naga/Kuki and Kuki/Paite conflicts. 31 USCR interview with C. Joshua Thomas, Calcutta, August 1998; USCR interview with Dr. T. Haokip of North Eastern Hills University (Shillong), Guwahati, August Interview with Thomas. 33 Interview with Haokip. 34 Ibid. 35 USCR interview with D. Kaam Santhang, Guwahati, August USCR interview with Professor Amalendu De, Calcutta, August U.S. Committee for Refugees, World Refugee Survey 1997, Washington D.C. 38 See Chart, page USCR interview with Prof. K. Debbarma, August Thomas, Dr. C. Joshua. Paper presented at Symposium on Internally Displaced Persons, Jadavpur University, Calcutta, August Interview with Thomas. 42 Interview with Debbarma. 43 Bhaumik, presentation at Symposium on Internally Displaced Persons. Interview with Debbarma. 45 Unofficial text of the UN General Assembly Summary of Member Government Interventions, 53rd Session of the UN General Assembly, Agenda Item 20, "Strengthening of the Coordination of Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance of the United Nations," November 16, Statement by Indian delegation, 53rd Session of the UN General Assembly, Agenda Item 20, "Strengthening of the Coordination of Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance of the United Nations," November 16, U.S. Committee for Refugees * 20